Mixing apparatus.



'Y fig] PATENTBD JAN. so, 1906. o. s. HIGGINS.

MIXING APPARATUS. APPLmATIoN FILED PBB.23.1905.

2 SHEETS-s132111: 1.

PATBNTED JAN. 30, 1906.

C'. S. HIGGINS. MIXING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED rms. z3. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wbt/nasse@ soap to construct, operate, and maintain.

IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. HIGGINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TIA-IE INSTRUCT- ING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.-

Muxme. APPARATUS.

Patented Jan. 3o, Joos.

T0 al?, whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. HIGGINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the' borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Mixing Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a speciiication, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming part of the same. My invention relates to apparatus for mixmg or stirring materials of various kinds, the present embodiment being designed more particularly for use in the manufacture of One of the chief objectsof the invention is to provide a machine for stirring or mixing the material and at the same time heating it which shall perform the desired functions in a most thorough and rapidmanner, utilizing .effectively the power supplied to it for actuating its moying parts and the heat of the medium suppllecl to it for heating purposes.

Another o ject is to provide a machine of the kind mentioned which shall be simple, strong, and compact and withal inexpensive In carrying out my invention in its preferred form I employ a mixin vessel or vat of cylindrical shape and withint esame arotary stirrer having radial arms provided with suitable scrapers which bear upon the wall yof the vat and serve to dislodge any material that may adhere thereto. The mixer-arms are mounted on a hollow shaft and are themselves hollow and so connectedwith the shaft that a heating medium-as steam, hot water, &c.-will flow radially outward from the shaft through the arms to the ends of' the same, then back radially inward to the shaft, and iinally escape from the apparatus as exhaust. In this way not only is the material in the vat. thoroughly agitatedand commingled, but also hasheat applied to it through all parts thereof, and since these operations go on at the same time it will be evident that the material is very quickly brought to the desired condition of temperature and intermixture. n means for reciprocating the Vshaft simultaneously with its rotation, so that the mixin arms or blades will not only revolve, but wi l also have a motion at right-angles to the plane of their revolution. I may further provide means for heating the mixing vat or I may also provide mixing-vat, showing the rotary agitator,

with its side and bottom Scrapers, and the mechanism for actuatin the same, together with the arrangement o parts for supplying a heating medium thereto.V Fig. A2 is a horizontal section on line II II of Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in vertical section, of one of the mixing arms or blades, showing the passages therein. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on lines IV' IV and V V, respectively, in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in horizon al section, 'of one'of the mixing-arms.

T e vessel in which' the soap or other material is to be treated is indicated by 1, preferably cylindrical in form and arranged with its axis vertical. Within the same is a combinedA mixer` and heater, which I prefer vto construct and operate in the following manner: The mixer is composed of a central hollow shaft 2, with outstanding hollow blades 3 in communication therewith in such manner th at, as before stated, the heating medium will traverse the entire length of each arm twice before passing out as exhaust. I prefer also to connect the parts so that the heating medium will pass through `the arms or blades in succession, entering through the upper blade and leaving from the lower. The central shaft is made in sections, one of which is shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. As shown, the section consists of a hollow membert of cylindrical form separated into two divisions bya4 bers between which there can be no communication except through the two tubular arms Sand-9, which extend laterallfy from the hollow member 4, as hereina ter described.

(See Figs. 3, 4, and 5.) By this construction detrimental tothe mixing process; but, on the contrary, the heating medium is forced to pass through the hollow mixing-arms successively, thus gradually heating the entire mass of the material under treatment and imparting to the contents of the v at a uniform degree of heat in the shortest time, thereby securing the best results. The tubular arms 8 and '9 communicate with and extend lat- 'erally from the upper and lowerchambers',

respectively, of the member 4. The two tubular arms 8 and 9 communicate with each other at their outer ends and together form, (See Figs. 1 and 3.) In' the mixing-blade 3. stead of `arranging the tubu ar parts 8 9 in line one directv y above the other I prefer to locate them out of alinement, so that the blade formed bythe two will be inclined to the axis of the shaft. I also prefer to make l eachv tubular member slightly flattened or elli tical in cross-section, so that the two wil forman approximatelyiiat blade.' `If desired, they may be connected by webs, as 10, to give the structure additional-strength`and` further subdivide the material in which the blade works.l The agitator or -mixer is built up by securing the shaft-sections togetherend to end by means of their flanges, as before explained, the sections being preferably arranged so that the blades 3 wil a helical line on the hollow shaft 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The top section (indicated stuffing-box' 14 is provided on the extension by 11 in the figurev just mentioned) has an extension 12 tting over a hollow spindle -13 loosely, enough to rotate freely thereon. A

or bearing 12 to prevent leaka e of the liquid or gaseous medium delivered y the spindle 13. The latter member is supported, centrally at the top of the vat 1 in any suitable manner, as by means of aspider 15. `The bottom section 16 is rigidly secured to a hollow shaft 17, extending thoughabearing 18in the bottom of the vat or vessel 1, providedv with a stufHng-,box 19. From the foregoing it will be clear that steam or other fluid entering the mixer through the spindle 13 will pass through the arms or blades 3 in succession before leaving the apparatus through the hollow shaft 17.

For the pur ose of rotating the agitator I provide thefollowing mechanism: Keyed to I the lower part of the hollow shaft 1 7 is a bevellss "gear 20, meshing with a gear 21 on a shaft 22,

driven by a pulley 23. The shaft 22 may also carry the usualidle pulley, as 24.v The bearings for the various shafts in the actuatin mechanism are supported by a suitable frame 25, as shown. As before stated, the mixer may also be given a reciprocating movement, the devices for effecting th'e same being prefl erably thefollowin Immediately above the gear 20 onthe sha t 17is la anged collar 25, engaged by a yoke or fork 26, bearing antifriction-rollers 27. The yoke 26 is carried ladhere to the sides o be located in mixed or heated and then drop off vat.. By t by a lever 28, fulcrumed on a hanger 29, depending from the bottom -Of the vat 1. For the purpose of oscillating the'lever 28, and so reciprocating the mixer, I provide the former with studs or rollers 30, extending laterally into eccentric grooves 31, formed in the adjacent surfaces of a pair of disks or facecams 32 33.

The cams are rigidly mounted on Va short shaft 34, bearing a gear 36, which is in mesh with a pinion 37 on the Vmain driving-shaft 22, so vthat rotation of the latter will not only causeV the mixer to be revolved, but also to be reciprocated.l It will be noted that the spindle 13 and bearing extension 12 `and the bearing 18 and shaft 1 7 are' constructed so as to permit such up-and-down move- Y' ment, while hub 20a of the gear 20 is provided witha feather 2012, sliding in a groove 20"' in the shaft 17. J The lever -28 may, if

desired, be provided/with a counterweight, as 3,8, to balance the agitator. l weight may b'e adjustably mountedon the The counterlever and may be secured in anyl adjusted position by means of a set-screw 39.

In order to detach an material which may f7 the vat,v I provide Scrapers 40, secured tothe ends of themixer- 'arms 3, the latter being attened for that purpose, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and inclined sliglhtly relativeto the wall of the vat, so that t e Scrapers will present their-edges to the wall, as shown in Fig. 2.` The Scrapers may be made of spring metal, .so as to bearfirmly but yieldingly on the wall, and hence withoutl undue friction. To remove adhermaterial from the bottom of the vat, I ro- V1 Ioo e inclined scrapin -knives 41, secure to a collar 42, which is eye'd on the shaft 17 The said scraping-knives 41 bear against and scrape the bottom' of the vat'in the same manner as the Scrapers 40 scrape 'the sides of the vat.y These slde and bottom Scrapers performl an important function. Although they act to some slight extent as mixers, yet they are not employed for that pur ose, but are designed and used to prevent t e material under treatment from adheringto the `sides and bottom ofl the" terior of the vat.

In'the manufacture of soap, forexample, it

is essential that every plart of the material to,V4 t

be treated should lbe oroughlymixed and heated to a uniformtemperature to produce the best results; but some "of the ingredients of the mixture are inclined to adhere to the sides and bottom of the vat, where they bestem 46, fitting insidethe shaft 17, as shown -tition 4.9, t

in Fig. 1.

Any suitable means may be employed for heating the vat itself7 if-such additional heat is desired; but I prefer to use steam taken from the common supply-main 4 4. For this purpose the vat is provided with an outer wal or jacket 47, leaving a space between the same and the inner wall 48, into which steam may be admitted from themain 44. This space may be divided into two non-intercommunicatinglparts by a central flange or pare upper division being connected with ,the steam-main by a valved pipe and the lower division by a valved pipe 51. In this way all or only part of the vat may be heated, thereby affording a closer regulation of the heat to which the material in the vessel is subjected. Moisture condensed in the steam-chambers may be drawn 0H by means of `waste-cocks 52 53. Steam may also be delivered directly into the lower part of the vat by a valved pipe 54,' extending from the main 44.l The vat is also provided with a dischar e-pipe 55, controlled by a suitable gate-va ve 56.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my invention provides an apparatus for agitating and heatin thematerial under treatment 1n a most e cient and rapid manner. At the same time it willbe noted that the apparatus, considering the functions which it performs, has relatively few operative parts and that these are in no sense delicate or liable to get out of order.

The invention has a widerange of utility and may be employed wherever material of practically any kind is to be agitated or stirred, or stirred and at the same time heated.

It is also clear that the apparatus may be used for Acooling as well as for heating purposes, in which case a refrigerant-such as, for example, ammonia, compressed air, .Water, &c.-may be circulated through such parts of the apparatus as may be necessary. It will be understood, of course, that the form herein specifically shown and described is merely the preferred embodiment of the invention, which ma be embodied in a great variety of widely-differing forms.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim isf l. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of a suitable mixing-vat, a mixer therein comprising a hollow shaft having a plurality of arms or blades, a tubular spindle supported at the top of the vat and extending into the shaft, a bearing in the bottom of the vat through which the shaft extends, a flanged collar on the shaft below the vat, a lever having a fork engaging the collar, and a cam engagi g the lever'to oscillate the same, as set fort f2. In an apparatus of the kind described, in combination a mixing-vat; means for heating part or all of the same at will; a mixer in the vat, comprising a hollow shaft and a plurality of hollow arms or blades in communication therewith; means for delivering a fluid heating medium to the hollow shaft; means for rotating the mixer; and means for simultaneously reciprocating the same, as set forth. CHARLES S. HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

GEO. M. BAKER. E. G. DUVALL. 

